Reaction to Shaun White pulling out of slopestyle says volumes

The two-time gold medalist is one of the biggest names competing in Sochi. His name is on gum and a clothing line for kids. As written about by USA TODAY Sports’ Rachel Axon, White’s control over his own brand has helped turn him into a pop culture icon. People who don’t watch the Olympics — or sports at all — know about him.

He’s no longer the goofy kid showing off new tricks on the halfpipe. He’s a businessman and a member of a band. Even with his haircut, White is recognizable in public.

When he pulled out from the slopestyle competition at the Olympics over concerns, he heard some backlash from his fellow snowboarders. Sebastien Toutant said it was easy to make excuses, while Max Parrot initially called White scared. He later deleted the tweet and apologized, but their actions show how White is so mainstream he may have moved beyond the core group of snowboarders he competes with.

Freestyle skier Jossi Wells, who will compete on the same course as the snowboarders, ripped the media for focusing on the danger of the sport in the wake of White’s pull out.

Hey media. How bout reporting on the positives? Course is mad fun. Slopestyle ain't "safe" regardless of the course.

It’s a weird position for White’s colleagues to be in. He has grown snowboarding to levels few could have imagined, but now is he bigger than the sport? Snowboarders enjoy more notoriety because of White, but have to figure out how to stand on their own without him.

But not every snowboarder questioned him. Two-time Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler summed up the snowboarders’ position succinctly.

Everyone slamming @shaun_white should take a step back & b grateful for all of the #Olympic exposure and opportunity he's created for slope